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Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:6-8) Today’s gospel reading starts with an introductory line, “The beginning of the good news of Continue reading Gospel Reflection for Second Sunday of Advent→

Darkness has fallen on us. The alleluias have fallen to their most silent. The ropes of the church bells left un-pulled. Statues have been covered, the crucifix is veiled, and not a single flower fills the church with its scent. Candles are left wanting for flame. Even the Eucharist itself has been taken from its place of honor. This is how we start the Easter Vigil. Then, from one single light – the new paschal candle lit from the Easter fire – we begin Continue reading Easter Vigil→

We close the Christmas season with Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan by John (i.e., the baptism of our Lord). This is the third Epiphany of the Christmas season and the last time we will hear ‘We Three Kings’ for 11 months. Christ’s birth The Visiting of the Magi Christ’s baptism in the river Jordan This completes the theophany. Scripturally, when Christ was baptized, the voice of the Father thundered and the Holy Spirit was present. This was the first Trinitarian Continue reading Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord→

This is the fourth article in a series of six focusing on the rosary. You will find links to the other articles in this series at the end of this article. The Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary: An Overview In the past decade or so, we have experienced a lot of unusual circumstances in the Church: the resignation of a pope and the election of a Jesuit pope from the Americas, to name a few. The luminous mysteries of the Continue reading Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary→

Shortly before Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI resigned, he implemented a small but significant change to the rite of Baptism in the Catholic Church. Currently, the priest or deacon at the rite of baptism closes with the words ‘the Christian Community welcomes you with great joy.’ The words were changed, effective March 31st of this year to: ‘the Church of God welcomes you with great joy.’ Practically speaking, this effect will be seen later at parish levels as the USCCB prepares Continue reading Benedict’s Change to the Rite of Baptism→

Recently, I was asked by a family in my parish to be the godfather for their baby boy, Cole. In the same week, my youngest sister had a baby girl and asked me to be baby Ellie’s godfather. Having no kids myself, I felt honored to suddenly have two godchildren. On the surface, I always saw this role as an affirmation from the parents to the godparents, affirming that I was of importance in their lives and they wanted to Continue reading The Godfather→

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